Adsorption Equilibrium, Thermodynamic, and Kinetic Study of O₂/N₂/CO₂ on Functionalized Granular Activated Carbon

A volumetric system was used to assess carbon-based adsorbents for evaluation of the gas separation, equilibrium, and kinetics of oxygen (O₂), nitrogen (N₂), and carbon dioxide (CO₂) adsorption on granular activated carbon (GAC) and functionalized GAC at 298, 308, and 318 K under pressures up to 10 bar. The effects of ZnCl₂, pH, arrangement of the pores, and heat-treatment temperature on the adsorptive capabilities of O₂, N₂, and CO₂ were evaluated. High-performance O₂ adsorption resulted with a fine sample (GAC-10-500) generated with a 0.1 wt % loading of ZnCl₂. The optimal sample structure and morphology were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and powder X-ray diffraction. On the basis of the adsorption-desorption results, the fine GAC provides a surface area of 719 m²/g. Moreover, it possessed an average pore diameter of 1.69 nm and a micropore volume of 0.27 m³/g. At 298 K, the adsorption capacity of the GAC-10-500 adsorbent improved by 19.75% for O₂ but was not significantly increased for N₂ and CO₂. Isotherm and kinetic adsorption models were applied to select the model best matching the studied O₂, N₂, and CO₂ gas uptake on GAC-10-500 adsorbent. At 298 K and 10 bar, the sip isotherm model with the highest potential adsorption difference sequence and gas adsorption difference compared with pure GAC adsorbent as O₂ > N₂ > CO₂ follows well for GAC-10-500. Eventually, the optimal sample is more effective for O₂ adsorption than other gases.